Guard-rail clamp.



,f PATENT-BD APR.'26,-19o4. 1.A L. KELLY & J. w.' RIORDAN. GUARD RAIL CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 21. v1903.

No uoDLL.

w/TNEssEs: /NVENTOHS ATTO/ms UNITED STAT-ns Patented Aprn 26, 1904.

PATENT Genion.

PATRICK EDVARD KELLY ANDJOHN W. RIORDAN, OF EL PASO, TEXAS.

GUARD-RAIL CLAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part o Letters Patent No. l?'58,536, dated April 26, 1904. Application filed December 2l, 1903. Serial No. 186,032. (No model.)

To .cul whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, PATRICK EDWARD KELLY and JOHN W. RIORDAN, both citizens of the United States, and residents of El Paso, inthe county of El Paso and State ofTexas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Guard-Rail Clamps, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

V This invention appertains to improvements in means for clamping or securing guard-rails to the main rail/s of a railway-track.

ln carrying out our invention we have particularl y in view the provision of an improved clamping or holding device through the medium of which a relatively short guard-rail may be quickly and safely secured in position adjacent to the main rail of a track.

As is well known, under the present system of securing guard-rails it is necessary to spike said guard-rail to prevent the same from turning over; but as frequently happens thisprecaution is not suiiicient, as the spikes have but little hold upon the guard-rails and there is a constant strain upon such spikes, which results in a tendency for the latter to pull out from the ties, thereby resulting in the dislocation of the guard-rails, and to overcome this tendency it is the common practice to use braces of various sorts; but the braces with which we are acquainted do not entirely prevent the dislocation of the rail, and especially in a situation where there is a great deal of snow and ice it is diiiicult to retain the guardrail in its proper position, inasmuch as a crust of ice and snow is formed between the guardrail and the main rail and such crust is packed or crushed down by the wheels of passing trains and the ice getting under the guardrail tends to raise the same. It is therefore necessary to employ a large force of men who are continually engaged in cleaning out the space between the main rail and the guardrail, for if the packing of snow or ice is not immediately removed the rails get into a dangerous condition and in addition to the liability of accident become very expensive on account of the necessity of replacing the same.

It is therefore to overcome the defects above pointed out that o ur improvement is especially designed; and to the accomplishment of the objects of the invention herein set forth and others of a similar nature the invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as is described in this specification,delineated in the accompanying drawings, and set forth in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a main rail and a guard-rail having our improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig'. 1, and Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the wedge-blocks employed in connection with our improvements.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, 5 designates the main rail, which is spiked in the ordinary manner to the ties 6, while arranged alongside of said main rail is the guard-rail 7, the end portions 8 8 thereof being bent or inclined sufficiently to bring the head ofthe guard-rail at least five inches from the head of the main rail. To firmly secure the two rails together, we employ aplurality of clamping devices; but as these clamps are all similar a description of one will sufice. The clamp comprises a straight base portion 9, having extending upward therefrom the inwardly inclined or turned sides-or wing portions 10 and 11, the wing 10 being of such peculiar construction that it will lit in against the web of the guard-rail, as is clearly shown at 12 in Fig. 2, while the wing 11 is designed to bear against the side of the tread portion of the main rail, as shown at 13. Between the guard-rail and the main rail and arranged in alinement with the clamps are the spacing-blocks 14 14C, each pair of spacingblocks being connected through the medium of the rod 15, which rod is bent at an angle and extends through a vertical bore in the block, as shown at 16 in Fig. 2,l so that there is no probability of the blocks being disconnected or forced from the ends of the rod. The space formed between the wing 11 of the clamp and the web of the adjacent main rail is designed to be occupied by the inclinedA wedge-block 17, said block being relatively IOO wider at one end than at the other, so that it may be driven in to the desired distance, so as to firmly wedge or secure the clamp against movement. As will be seen by reference to Fig. 2, the wing 11 is provided with a horizontally-extending bore 18, having the wall thereoiC threaded to receive the shank 19 of the screw-bolt 20. This bolt is designed to be turned or screwed in until the end of the shank thereof bears firmly against the wedge 17, thereby insuring that there shall be no dislocation or loosening ot' such wedge.

It will be noted that we have provided an exceedinglysimple, convenient, yet absolutely safe arrangement for clamping the guard-rail to the main rail and one which will recommend itself to all familiar with' railroads. With a clamp of this character there is no necessity of nicking or cutting the main rail to permit the insertion of bolts, and the rod which connects the blocks or filling obviates the necessity of employing bolts of any character whatsoever, as such rods will hold the gage-block so securely that there is no possibility of dislodgment after the clamp-braces have been secured.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a main rail and a guard-rail, of a device for securing thc guardrail to the main rail, comprising a clamping member designed to extend beneath the rails and connect the same, gage-blocks interposed between the rails, means connecting said gageblocks, and means for securing the clamp against movement.

2. The combination of a plurality of rails, gage or lilling blocks arranged between said rails, a block arranged outside of one of said rails, a clamp designed to extend beneath said rails, said clamp having inclined wings at the ends thereof adapted to bear against the outer faces of said rails, 'and means for securing the clamp to the rails, said means bearing on said last-named block.

3. The combination with a plurality of rails, of a clamping member for securing said rails, said clamping member comprising a base portion designed to extend beneath the rails, an inclined sidewing adapted to bear against the web of one of said rails, a second inclined wing adapted to bear against the side of the tread of a second of said rails, and means for securing the clamp against movement.

4. A device of the class described, comprising a clamping member having side Wings adapted to bear against the outer faces of the vtrack-rails, one of said side wings having a bore extending laterally therethrough, a wedge adapted to be inserted between the bored wing and the side of a rail, and a screw having the shank portion thereof threaded in the bore, said shank portion bearing against the Wedge to secure the same in position.

5. The combination of a main rail and a guard-rail, a plurality of gage or filling blocks interposed between said rails, and a rod connecting said blocks, said rod having upwardlyturned end portions designed to pass vertically into said blocks.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PATRICK EDWARD KELLY. JOHN W. RIORDAN.

lVitnesses:

JAMES CLIFFORD, A. J. BLAIN. 

